Science, Media and Democracy: Citizen-centred approaches to science

October 2014

Outcomes and conclusions from the 2014 edition of the ‘European Intersectoral Summit on Research and Innovation (EISRI)’ held at the European Parliament in Brussels on the topic Science, Media and Democracy. The 2014 EISRI Summit met to discuss ways in which citizens might engage more with scientists and policy makers in useful and ultimately beneficial ways, as well as how media might be encouraged to engage citizens more on scientific topics. It was held with the support of the European Parliament, Commission and the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Introduction

With a dramatically changing media environment, challenging economic and social climates, shifting relationships between citizens and policy makers and an evolving understanding of democracy, science stands as a ready tool to help combat modern difficulties. With all of these changes, the need for intersectoral dialogue is more important than ever. How can science help all of these individual societal actors and vice versa? What should the role of science be in the 21st century?
This was discussed at the 2014 edition of the European Intersectoral Summit on Research and Innovation (EISRI), held at the European Parliament in Brussels in September 2014. The Summit met to discuss ways in which citizens might engage more with scientists and policy makers in useful and ultimately beneficial ways, as well as how media might be encouraged to engage citizens more on scientific topics. The conference, organised with the support of the European Parliament, Commission and the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, brought together over two hundred participants to discuss, reflect and plan solutions for greater citizen involvement and intersectoral communication and action.
The outcomes and conclusions from the Summit are outlined in this report.